1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sustained release composition useful to deter wound licking by an animal through gustatory aversion, and the uses of such compositions for this purpose.
2. Related Art
An animal having a lesion or affliction, or a bandage or other foreign object, such as a medical device, on its body tends to lick or bite at the lesion or superficial affliction or molest or attempt to remove the bandage or foreign object. This behavior results in the lesion taking longer to heal or the bandage or foreign object being nonfunctional for its purpose. One way this problem has been addressed in the past is by the use of head cones, also known as Elizabethan collars, to prevent the animal's access to the area with its mouth. However, head cones have many disadvantages. Often the head cone must be worn for several days, putting undue leverage and pressure on the animal's neck. Further, head cones are impractical to use if the animal must be crated in order to limit activity or is too large. For a domestic animal, enduring the physical burden and visual limitations of a head cone can easily result in the animal damaging furniture and harming itself. The unnatural circumstance of having to endure a head cone and an increased sense of vulnerability due to a reduced field of vision can increase stress levels.
Another method of addressing this problem involves the application of bitter tasting substances. One such substance is a spray sold under the tradename Grannick's Bitter Apple®. Another is a topical spray with an added antiseptic agent sold under the tradename Wound-Gard® by Virbac. A gel sold under the tradename Yuk® 2e by Vet Planet can be applied directly to the animal's wound or bandage. Yuk® 2e is a combination of denatonium and sucrose octaacetate and is extremely offensive to the animal, yet harmless. In all these products, animals are dissuaded from molesting, licking, chewing or biting or self-traumatizing wounds, sutures, dressings, and the like by the bitter taste of the composition. However, none of these products provides long-lasting deterrence. Each requires relatively frequent re-application. In both veterinary and home environments, this frequent need for attention puts an undue burden on the animal's caretaker and may serve to contaminate surfaces with which the animal comes into contact.
Disclosed herein are compositions comprising a sustained release bittering agent. The compositions are useful for modifying the behavior of an animal. For example, the compositions are especially useful for deterring an animal from licking a particular area or object. It is particularly useful for deterring an animal from licking an area, such as a lesion, superficial affliction and the like in order to allow the area to remain unmolested or the lesion to heal.